The best team against the worst team in the East Division, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins face Mathew Barzal and the New York Islanders. Last NHL season which was in the bubble, the Isles made it to the Eastern Conference Final but lost. So far this season has been okay for them. The Penguins won back to back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017 and this year could be another trophy for them. At noon on Sunday from PPG Paints Arena, Game 1 of the 1st Round in this series kicks off.
The Islanders defense and goaltending has been super but they can’t find much offense. Varlamov has 7 shutouts which is the most in the league. Even their young rookie goalie; Ilya Sorokin has been really good. They have so many low scoring games because their D is so good and the offense barely has to do anything. Cal Clutterbuck has been really good and so have all the defensemen. Going into the playoffs against a very challenging team, Barry Trotz will have to tell his forwards to play better and put more force on the opposition. They have to try to stay in the attacking third of the ice for long periods. This hockey team shouldn’t look far right now but put all their focus into this series and try to get through this one first. It would be an absolute stunner if the Islanders manage to beat Pittsburgh.
The Pens are playing better than ever. Jeff Carter, who came from the Kings for a trade, is playing like he wants to lift the Stanley Cup. He had 4 goals last week and is hoping to win another Cup with a different team this time. The pieces are clicking together for Mike Sullivan; the head coach. Malkin and many others came back from injury which is perfect timing and now they are a fresh team. The goalie Tristan Jarry is playing fabulous so he will most likely be the starter for the 1st game. I favor the Penguin’s chances to make it the farthest out of all the teams in the East and believe they will make it to the Conference Final. They have so many people who have been through this and know how it feels like in this tense time, they deservedly won the Division title, and have a great defense and offense. This team has so much experience and I believe it will be a positive playoffs for them.
I believe the Penguins will win game 1 by the score of 3-1. The crowd will pump them up definitely and Sidney Crosby will lead them to victory. This team’s offense is pretty hard to stop and somehow they always find a way to break through. Overall, they don’t make that many mistakes and usually play exquisitely on the ice. The injury of Anders Lee really hurt the Islanders and this year I don’t believe they will advance to the 2nd Round. It will be a low scoring series and even though they will lose, I think those two goalies will still be spectacular.
The 2nd game of the playoffs is a good one. Can goaltending and Matt Barzal lead the Islanders to a Game 1 win or will the Pittsburgh Penguins continue to play eye-catching hockey leading into the playoffs at home? We will find out on a Sunday afternoon from Pittsburgh as the 1st and 4th seed in these divisions come to play.
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